A Lady's Heart
by nightingaleofshadow
Summary: Something clever about a romance between a noblewoman and a Plegian tactician. i'll think of something later
1. Chapter 1

"My Lord, King Gangrel and a sizable force has been spotted in the wastelands on the Plegian border. I believe he is awaiting your arrival."

Chrom frowned, but Seris looked thoughtful.

"Is Aversa with him?" The tactician asked, looking at the spy

"No, my Lord"

This was fortunate. From the reports, Gangrel was nowhere near as impressive a spellcaster as his advisor, and was, in all odds, incapable of summoning Risen like she was. So there would be no nasty surprises like there had been at Exalt Emmeryn's execution.

It had been 2 days since the Exalt had taken her own life, in an effort to cease the hostilities between Ylisse and Plegia. 2 days since Chrom and Lissa had lost one of the only family members they had. 2 days since they had fled the Plegian courtyard, with Seris practically dragging the enraged and desperate Chrom away, and Maribelle pulling a sobbing Lissa onto her horse.

Even as they had run from Plegia, led by Basilio's agent, a young woman named Olivia, Chrom's rage was still palpable. When confronted by Plegian soldiers who had been struck with Emmeryn's speech, and were therefore reluctant to fight, and even offered mercy, Chrom had not answered. He launched himself at the soldiers, supported by Vaike and Frederick at first, and joined by the rest of the Sheperds in time. The terrible glee and manic fury on Chrom's face had chilled Seris to the core.

It seemed, however, that the fighting calmed Chrom, because as Olivia led them away from the now bloodstained Midmire, his anger began to abate. He was, at least, calm enough to help Seris as they planned the rapid counterattack, in an effort to surprise Gangrel, and catch him off guard.

"This is both a blessing and a curse." Seris finally said. "If Aversa had been here, we could have taken out the entire command structure of Plegia. But her absence reduces the chance of her summoning Risen on us again. So there is a silver lining here, Chrom."

"Yes." Chrom looked at his friend, and noticed for the first time just how tired Seris looked. There were dark lines beneath his grey eyes, and the whites of his eyes were slightly bloodshot.  
Clapping the tactician on the shoulder, Chrom forced Seris to look at him.

"You're exhausted, and there is a long battle ahead of us. Go get some rest, Seris. That's an order."

Sighing in resignation, Seris left Chrom and Frederick in the command tent, and headed to the tent he shared with Stahl. Along the way, he spotted Maribelle, and attempted to talk to her, but she blushed furiously, and ran into her own tent. Confused, and a little bit hurt, he entered his tent to find it empty. Laying on his bedroll, he removed his coat and tunic, crossed his lean arms over his eyes, and closed his eyes in an attempt to sleep, but his thoughts kept returning the the young blonde noblewoman.

He had never been quite comfortable in the large group of warriors that comprised the Shepherds, but for some reason, the haughty attitude of the young noblewoman allowed him to work with impunity. Something in his chest burned whenever he spoke to her, thought the heat wasn't unpleasant. Eventually, he had come to love her, but had never allowed it to distract him from his duty. But what if? What if the war ended? What would happen in regards to his affections?

Having seen Chrom with Sumia, it was obvious that the pair was fit for each other, and were more than happy to be paired. It wasn't that simple for Seris. He had no past, no memories, and, as far as he knew, no family. Even if Maribelle felt the same way about him, he could, in no way, begin to court her. Her noble lineage and haughty attitude made it difficult enough, but the fact that he had literally nothing made his dilemma all the more hopeless.

His final thought, before succumbing to sleep.

His dreams were full, as they had been since he had awoken, of a wide room, a desperate battle against a tall, fearsome man, a rapid series of magical attacks, and ended with Seris plunging a lighting-imbued dagger into Chrom's chest, with a loud, terrible laugh echoing in his head as his nightmare ended.

He awoke with a start, sweat beading his lean chest, his sharp gray eyes darting here and there. His reaction startled the sleeping Stahl into awareness. Ignoring his friends questioning stare, Seris left his shirt, and simply pulled his coat over his chest, tightening the cords on the front. He stumbled into the night, still sweating. He had never heard that laugh before, and for some reason, it chilled him to the bone, and left him shaken. Something about it felt _wrong_ , almost as though it was venomous to his very being. Yet, for some reason, he couldn't help but feel that something about the laugh felt familiar, as though it awoke some old memory. That could very well be the case, but he had not intention of investigating it.

The cool night air rapidly cooled his heated flesh, and he gradually calmed down, though the laugh would not leave his mind. Finding a large boulder in the grass, Seris pulled himself onto it, and lay on the rock, pulling off his jacket and feeling the cool surface chill his back. Staring at the sky, Seris lost himself, gazing at the stars as the laugh from his dreams continued to reverberate through his head.

"Seris?"

The tactician sat up, startled. Looking down from his perch, he saw Lissa standing to the side, her long blonde hair falling down her back, rather than being tied. The young princess had always been friendly to the amnesiac Seris, and he always enjoyed her company.

"What brings you out here?" She asked, yawning.

"Did I wake you? I thought I was being quiet."

"Nah, I was already awake. Maribelle talks when she gets nervous, and we've been chatting all night."

At the mention of the young noble's name, Seris felt his insecurities about his feelings for her return. It must have shown on his face, because Lissa started to laugh, gales erupting from her until she was on her back, in the dirt.

"You know, Seris, you are REALLY terrible at hiding things. Come to think of it, so is Maribelle." Lissa finally managed to say, breathing heavily, a smirk still on her face.

"What? What do you mean?" Seris felt himself flush at the princess's statement.

"Everyone in camp can see it, Seris. Even if you two are too stubborn to admit it. You like each other." Lissa didn't pose it as a question, but a statement.

Seris felt his already flushed face burn brighter, as his situation continued to mock him.

"Even so. I can't do anything about it." Seris replied, bowing his head into his chest.

"Why?" Lissa seemed genuinely confused.

"Because I'm not a noble. I'm not a great hero. I'm just a spellsword with no memory, no family, no home, and just about no money. How could I even begin to approach someone of her stature?" Seris felt like he was explaining something to a small child who just didn't want to understand.

"So?"

"What do you mean, so." Seris could feel his temper rising the longer he talked to the Ylissean princess.

"Have you even tried asking her? Or even talking to her about spending time together? For such a smart guy, you can be awfully stupid sometimes."

"Speak sense, Lissa, or leave me be." The tactician scowled, frustrated that this conversation wasn't going anywhere.

"Ask her. Spend some time with her, or something. Don't just sit here and mope about it, someone else might try and court her while you're messing around feeling sorry for yourself."

Her sharp tone was so surprising, it caught Seris by surprise. He had never heard the princess talk like that, save for when she was chastising Chrom.

"Would it really be that easy?"

"Hey, you never know until you try. One of two things will happen, at least. She'll drop you into the dirt, or she'll grab you and never let go. But it falls to you to get of your butt and try!"

Her argument had merit, Seris decided.

"Well, whatever happens between me and Maribelle, I'm not doing anything about it until the battle is over tomorrow. Not exactly the best time to pursue a romantic relationship."

With that, the tactician hopped off his perch, and walked past Lissa towards his tent, his heart considerably lighter than it had been. 


	2. Chapter 2

The sounds of blades ricocheting off of each other, compounded with the screams of dying men, made a symphony that, surprisingly, Seris was used to, having been with the Shepards long enough, and been in enough battles. It didn't make it any easier, though, to know that whenever he raised his hand and cast a spell, or whenever his slim blade rose and fell, a human life ended. But he had sworn his blade to Chrom, and would continue his fight to the bitter end.

Chrom had taken to the battle with a sinister pleasure, cutting down Plegians left and right with a savage glee, something that had not escaped the tactician. Even from behind the young prince, Seris could see the sadistic grin on his friend's face. All he could do was hope that, in the end, when Gangrel was dead, that the prince's bloodlust would fade.

Grimly raising his blade, Seris charged back into the fray, his blade lancing out and spearing a Plegian soldier through the chest. His fighting style revolved around speed and accuracy, rather than strength. Seris was not as muscular as Vaike or Frederick, but his lean frame allowed him to dash around his opponents, and cut at them through small gaps in their armor, his long, slim blade sliding through mail and leather. Thankfully, the majority of Gangrel's guards were large men, and easy targets for the tactician's quick blade.

Seris heard a whimper from his side, and turned in time to see a large man leering over Maribelle, a huge axe in his hands. It was raised over his head, ready to fall on the young noblewoman, who could do nothing to prevent it, and could only watch in horror as her death approached.

Without thinking, Seris jumped in front of Maribelle, his slim blade raised, one hand near the tip. But even his blade has it's breaking point. For an instant after the impact, the sword held.

Time seemed to slow as Seris watched his sword bend inward, towards him, for an instant, before shattering, and allowing not only the axe to bite into his shoulder, but for shards of his blade to lacerate his arm, before the force of the blow sent him to the ground in front of the young woman. Howling in pain and anger, his right hand brushed against the tome at his waist, and a massive jolt of lightning burst from the sky, and incinerated the risen warrior with a screech.

Blood poured from his wound as he lay on the ground, and Maribelle jumped off her horse to kneel at his side, heedless of the dirt and gore. Raising her staff in shaking hands, she pointed it at the fallen tactician, and he could feel the pain abating, although it was agonizingly slow healing such a massive wound.

From his back, Seris could see Chrom dueling with the Mad King, Falchion recoiling off Gangrel's blade in a shower of sparks. As if he was in a daze, Seris reached to his shoulder, and pulled out two large shards of his sword. Touching them to his Thoron tome, the shards began to crackle with lightning in his hand, but he ignored the burns. Raising his hand, he allowed the shards to rocket towards Gangrel, with one trailing the other.

The wily king spotted the danger, and raised his bracer just quick enough to send one shard spiraling off to the side, harmless. He didn't see the second shard until it was too late, and it hit him squarely in the chest, burning through relentlessly to bury itself in the dunes behind him. Chrom took the opportunity gladly, and brought Falchion down with a cry of "EMMERYN!"

Gangrel toppled to the ground, blood pouring from his two wounds, as the light began to fade from his crazed eyes. Chrom stood over him, rage and victory in his eyes. Turning towards the battle still going on, he raised Falchion, and howled his victory for all.

But Seris barely heard it. As his wound healed, he felt his consciousness slipping away, even as Maribelle grabbed his hand in an effort to keep him with her. He felt so tired, why couldn't they all just be quiet?

Allowing the darkness to take him, Seris felt all his pain and weariness slip away, as his mind faded to black.


End file.
